


Tinding the Flames of Love

by toxicstardvst



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Online Dating, Platonic Love, Polyamory relationships, Romantic love, Tinder fic, hopeless losers trying to get together, sfw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-22
Updated: 2017-03-22
Packaged: 2018-10-09 05:19:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10404804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toxicstardvst/pseuds/toxicstardvst
Summary: No, I didn't spell tinding wrong, it's a pun! This is a tinder fic for the Haikyuu Rarepair Exchange 2017. For tenyaa.Kenma is a lonely graduate student and Kuroo is his best friend, his only friend really, and Kenma is in a way really jealous. Not because someone else has Kuroo, but because Kenma doesn't have anyone or really anything of substance in his life. Sure, he's got graduate school going for him, but it wasn't keeping him warm at night or making him happier anymore. So Kuroo took things into his own hands and downloaded Tinder because all of the best relationships happen through Tinder. Tinder is how Kuroo met Oikawa and how Kiyoko, Oikawa's best friend, met Yachi.Obviously this is an AU! I hope you guys enjoy the rarepair goodness.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to pinch hit for the Haikyuu Rarepair Exchange 2017 and was fortunate enough to receive a very exciting grouping of pairings! I've modeled this loosely off of my experience on Tinder and I hope you enjoy tenyaa! We will get to all of the pairings and they will all have their shining moments. I really wanted to get this out earlier but life got in the way. But here it is! A day late isn't so bad for a fic I had four official days to figure out and write. I didn't have an official beta so I'm not sure if it's perfect, but I've done my best!

Kenma stared at Kuroo unamused which wasn’t entirely unusual, but the absence of a phone or handheld in Kenma’s hands certainly was. His 3DS had died and was resting safely in its case, but his phone was currently in Kuroo’s clutches as he downloaded a new app for Kenma who was apparently “hopeless” and “needed all the help he could get.”

“Seriously, Kenma, how many otome games do you need, dude? I thought you liked those wild fighting games, or something of  _ substance _ . I can’t believe you pay for these either. What a waste. I mean you’re twenty-three and a graduate student, Kenma. Go get some ass and quit paying for these things.”

“They’re interactive novels, Kuroo, and I can purchase whatever I want with my money thank you very much. Are you just about done with my phone or what? What are you even installing on it?” He heaved a sigh and began mumbling to himself.

“Why did I even give you my passwords in the first place? I knew nothing good could come of this, but still I let you talk me into it just like I let you talk me into everything. Like when we went drinking together for the first time when I was 21 when you realized I never drank before, or went to a club and you dragged me there drunk.” He shuddered flopping back onto his bed.

The entire experience had been a disaster; he couldn’t hold his alcohol well, but because he let Kuroo dress him—extremely provocatively might he add—people wouldn’t stop buying him drinks and he couldn’t say no because apparently he forgot the existence of the word when smashed. It was then Kuroo saw just how much Kenma appreciated a nice piece of ass, but Kenma couldn’t remember who or how he’d gotten tangled up with. Kuroo refused to tell him except for to say that he had “foreign” tastes, but Kenma wasn’t too sure if he was fucking with him or not. Nothing could be put past Kuroo, honestly, the man lived to fuck with his friends.

Lost in thought Kenma was the perfect target for his own camera. A shutter click and a flash was the wake-up call he didn’t ask for. He shot up and tried to snatch his phone from Kuroo’s hands, but Kuroo’s height had always been an advantage that Kenma couldn’t deny. He puffed out his cheeks and glared at Kuroo and another flash indicated a second picture.

“Why are you even taking pictures of me, Kuroo? It’s not even your phone and I thought you got over your weird obsession? Didn’t you meet someone on that app of yours?” Kuroo smirked.

“I did, and now so will you.”

“What do you mean so will I? I’m not downloading that trash. I don’t want to date online and deal with the bullshit that goes along with it.

“Too late, Kenmaaaa~!” He sang as he clicked submit and spun away from Kenma who was becoming increasingly more red.

“You did not, Kuroo!” He yelped lunging forward and managing to grab both his phone and slam his annoying ass best friend into the wall rather hard.

He ended up in a heap himself with a sore ass, but it was worth it. Kuroo chuckled and winced a little as he worked out his shoulder that took the brunt of the force. Kenma always needed a push for everything, and what could he say? He was always happy to provide that shove off the deep end. He stood up and fluffed Kenma’s hair with his hand.

“You’ll thank me later, I’m sure. Just try it out. There’s no obligation and no one will know you picked them unless you pick them too. It’s a lot less pressure than meeting in a bar or club. I know you won’t drink anymore—don’t give me that look! I know it’s my fault… So I think this is a good way to curb your anxiety. Your pictures are good and I gave you a winning profile. I might’ve linked it to all of your accounts, but that’s okay! All right I’ll see ya later, bye buddy!” He shouted as he darted out of the room.

Kenma just sighed and looked down at the profile that was displayed on the brightly glowing screen. He should’ve known better than to let Kuroo take his phone. He should delete this app, but… But it couldn’t hurt to try it right? This was where Kuroo had met his steady boyfriend, and while things were rough at first— _ the stories _ he heard about their first string of dates—they were good now, and Kenma… He was a little jealous of what they had. He was a little bitter if he was being honest. He didn’t and he had never really had much luck when it came to dating, and though Kuroo had confessed to him at one point—even though he considered it briefly—nothing happened because Kenma simply couldn’t. Kuroo had been his best friend since they were kids; he’d seen everything and he knew everything about Kuroo and while he loved him, he simply wasn’t in love with him, and the two things were very different. That was something Kuroo figured out on his own afterwards—he realized that he never truly was in love with Kenma, and even told him so, which did kind of sting, but it had made their friendship stronger and honestly that was the important part to Kenma. Kuroo was his best friend, and sometimes, he felt like his only friend.

He sighed again. He did that a lot, and the sound sometimes echoed around his empty apartment. It was a nice place, and he liked it a lot. It was  _ his _ and there was nothing anyone could do to change that, but at the same time it was very lonely and had an almost sterile appearance. He really only slept here if he was being honest. Home wasn’t his apartment; he used to think home was wherever Kuroo was, but he realized that wasn’t right either in college when they were roommates. Home never was at his parent’s house—they loved him and gave him everything he needed, but it never felt like home. He was never relieved to be there, and he was never really relieved to see his parents either… He sighed _ again _ .

**_Maybe there just isn’t a home for a person like me? Maybe I can have nice things and good friends, but not a sense of belonging and romance… God, I’m pathetic…_ **

Just as the stinging behind his eyes began to pester him, his phone lit up and buzzed with a notification. He heaved yet another sigh, though this one was shakier, and looked at his phone screen.

_ Someone superliked you! Swipe left to find out who! _

Kenma squinted. What the hell was a superlike? Why did Kuroo leave before he understood the app? He sighed once again and opened up his phone being careful to avoid dismissing the notification before he figured out just what a “superlike” was. He punched in a familiar number and waited for it to pick up.

“Helloooo~ Kuroo’s phone, this is Oikawa.” Kenma pinched the bridge of his nose.

Of course these two idiots were together right now. They were always together if Kuroo wasn’t over here. Oikawa had yet to come over, and it wasn’t necessarily because Kenma didn’t like him, but it was definitely because Kenma didn’t like him. He really wasn’t in the mood to deal with Oikawa. Well, he was never in the mood to deal with Oikawa, but he definitely wasn’t in the mood right now.

“Look, Oikawa, is Kuroo there? It’s kind of important.” Oikawa tutted.

“Now, now, Kitten, just because you don’t like me doesn’t mean I can’t help.” Kenma groaned.

“What does that even mean? Can I talk to Kuroo or not?”

“Not. He’s busy right now.” Kenma sighed.

“Doing what, Oikawa? You’d better not be fucking with me. I am not in the mood.” Oikawa gasped.

“Me? Me, fuck with you, Kitten? Never. I would never. Kuroo is dealing with Bokuto. You know how that goes.” Kenma nodded. 

He did know how it goes. A little too well honestly. The week he had to babysit Bokuto was awful. The guy was a grown man with the worst tantrums and mood swings. Well, maybe he was being a lot mean… If anything he’s just jealous of the time that Bokuto takes away from him with Kuroo.

“Alright, well, thanks I guess.”

“Wait, it’s important, is it not Kitten?” His eyebrow twitched this time.

“Please, don’t call me, Kitten, Oikawa. It’s not my fault the kitten hated you but loved me. Get over it. You’re the only one still bitter about that.”

“Haru still loves you more than me…” Kenma could picture the stupid look on Oikawa’s face and he sighed yet again.

“Look, I don’t think you of all people could help me.”

“Ouch, I’m hurt, Kenma. But if you’re sure I guess I’ll hang up and go play with Haru.” Kenma hesitated screwing his face up a little.

“Well… Maybe you can help?” He asked his voice lilting up a few octaves with his worries.

“I’m listening, Kenma.” A soft rustling could be heard on the other end of the phone and Kenma let out one last sigh before he began.

“So Kuroo got tired of me complaining about being lonely, I guess, so he downloaded this app, Tinder, on my phone. And someone superliked me? But I don’t know what that means or even how the app works. In fact I don’t even know what Kuroo put down for my profile. I just know that he took several weird pictures of me when I wasn’t paying attention and used those.” Oikawa chuckled.

“Sounds like Tetsu alright. Did you give him that murderous look?” Kenma gave a little laugh as well.

“Yeah, I guess, he said he linked all of my profiles and he knows how much I hate having profiles linked together. I like everything separate. So he kind of ran off. And he didn’t teach me how to use this stupid app so I’m really confused and I guess I’m lonely and curious and I just really want to know who “superliked” me because that sounds like a good thing. That’s a good thing right?” All the words admittedly came out very rushed, but somehow Oikawa understood him perfectly.

“Okay, yes, a superlike is a good thing. The profile that superliked you will have a blue star on it. If you swipe right you’re rejecting a match or profile. If you swipe left you’re accepting a match or liking a profile. You swipe up to superlike, but you only get one of those a day. If you click on a profile there’s more information and pictures as well as their linked accounts if they have any. You can link spotify, instagram, set an anthem, and your profile is created through facebook so that’s there as well. Any questions?” Kenma blinked absorbing the information.

“If you match with someone do you message them…? Does it show when you’re online?”

“You can message them, or you can wait for them to message you. It doesn’t show when you’re online, but the prompt that comes up when you first match someone needs to be ignored. They don’t get what you do. It’s just a suggestion for an icebreaker. Don’t make the same mistake Yachi did.” Kenma nodded.

“Okay, got it. Just one more thing. Does the app let the other person know when you like them or…?”

“The other person only gets informed if you both like each other and make a match. Try not to overthink it, Kenma. It’s just an app. Think of it as a dating game so that way it’s easier for you to try and match yourself with compatible people. I’m sure you’ll be fine. I’m going to go okay?” Kenma nodded.

“Sounds good. Thanks, Oikawa.” He said softly.

“My pleasure, Kitten. Talk to you later!” Oikawa sang before the call clicked off.

Kenma rolled his eyes. He figured the sincerity would only last so long. It was inevitable with Oikawa, but he made Kuroo happy and he knew that the odd man cared for his best friend, so he would put up with him. Kenma drew in a deep breath steeling himself to start using Tinder. He knew it wouldn’t be that hard, and there was someone who already really liked him, so that was a good start. A good confidence booster. He clicked on the notification and waited while it located and loaded.

He scrunched up his face. He didn’t see a blue star, but should he swipe left anyways? He clicked on the profile and scrolled through the photos. The guy was tall, blond, and lanky. Lev? What kind of a name was that? Kenma shook his head and rejected it. The next face to pop up on the screen was beautiful to say the least. Not in a pretty way, but in literal ball of sunshine kind of way. Did that even make sense…? He shrugged and clicked on the profile.

 

_ Hinata. 22 _

_ Student  _

_ Hey! I’m Hinata! I love volleyball, animals, and pork buns! 165.1 cm. Looking for a relationship. Super energetic and I love to cook! Maybe we can get coffee? Let me know! _

 

Kenma was struck by the simplicity of the profile, and by the beauty of his smile. He felt a little better just looking at his photos. There was another guy in two of the photos. He didn’t smile in them, in fact he was scowling, but from the look on Hinata’s face he got the feeling the other guy was a good friend. Kenma went to click out of the profile when his finger slipped and a blue star appeared. 

 

_ You’ve just superliked Hinata! Keep swiping or message? _

 

Kenma just stared at his phone in disbelief and let out a high pitched whine before flopping back on his bed. He knew that it wasn’t the end of the world and that there were worse things, but wouldn’t that make him seem desperate? God, he didn’t even know what his profile said or really what pictures there were. He was a total mess who let Kuroo make his profile which means it’s probably ridiculous or awful or both, and--and his phone vibrated to life.

 

_ Hinata: Hey Kenma! How are you? _

 

Kenma blinked at the message banner until it disappeared bewildered. How did he manage to get so lucky on the second profile? Kenma clicked away determined to see what his profile said.

 

_ Kenma. 23. _

_ Graduate Student at Tokyo Uni _

 

_ Nerd. Loves video games. Weird aesthetic pictures and even weirder music taste. Reluctant attachment to volleyball. Once a setter always a setter. Failure at taking care of myself. Please take me out on a date. Maybe one day I’ll get my roots dyed again. Hit me up. _

 

Kenma winced and decided to leave it alone for now so he could talk to Hinata. That would make things better, maybe. Or worse. It really depended on how much Kenma could and would manage to embarrass himself.

 

_ Kenma: Hi Hinata. I’m ok. How about you _

 

_ Hinata: I’m great actually!!!! Are you busy right now? _

 

_ Kenma: Uh, not really. Why _

 

_ Hinata: Do you want to meet me to get some coffee?? _

_ Hinata: That’s not too soon is it? We’re less than a mile away so I thought it might be fun! An impromptu date. _

_ Hinata: But don’t feel obligated if you don’t want to! _

 

_ Kenma: You type fast. Sure we can get coffee. Where _

 

_ Hinata: Starbucks? _

 

_ Kenma: Not my favorite honestly. How about Java Beans? _

 

_ Hinata: Sure, I’ll look it up! Meet you there in 20? _

 

_ Kenma: Sounds good. See you then. _

  
Kenma closed the app and dropped the phone onto the bed beside him. He felt the churning of emotions in his stomach, but he figured he should ignore that. What he should do is get dressed and run a brush through his hair and get to Java Beans, and so he did.


End file.
